Specialty Food Magazine

WINTER 2015

Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.

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Page 22 of 139

trends & happenings
LABELS & PACKAGING
OF THE FUTURE
The newest labels slated to hit the
market are the most advanced yet.
One coming out of the University of
Alberta in Canada changes color
when it detects microbes like E. coli,
salmonella, or listeria in meat and
perishables. Another, the Bump Mark,
has a gelatin-flled food expiration
label that turns from smooth to bumpy
at the same rate that the food inside
spoils; its creator is in talks with
frms for development. And a third
smart label, now in production from
Insignia Technologies, aims to help
prevent food waste by changing
color to show when produce is start-
ing to spoil.
Meanwhile, Tetra Pak has
unveiled the world's frst beverage
carton made entirely from plant-
based materials. Available in early
2015, the cartons will be made from
low-density polyethylene flms and
bio-based high-density polyethylene
caps, both derived from sugar cane,
and paperboard certifed by the
Forest Stewardship Council. Tetra Pak
is making it easy for existing custom-
ers to make the switch. Companies
using the standard 1-L Tetra Rex with
TwistCap OSO 34 will be able to
move to the plant-based cartons with-
out having to modify equipment.
Online Sales Soar
Global online sales of packaged goods, including foods,
are on track to hit $53 billion by 2016, according to Kantar
Worldpanel. Big-name brands will make up a hefty portion
of those sales, but small specialty producers are command-
ing a larger share as well. The Specialty Food Association
and Mintel's 2014 report "Today's Specialty Food Consumer"
revealed almost half of specialty food consumers say they
buy gourmet food online. They are also more likely than the
average consumer to use social media, such as Facebook and
Pinterest, to talk and learn about food.
GMOS RETURN TO THE LAB
Factor GMO, a group backed by research institutions in Russia, the
U.S., and Europe, will launch a $25 million study to examine the health
impacts of GMO corn and herbicides. Beginning in 2015 the researchers
will study 6,000 lab rats fed genetically modified food and pesticides.
The study will address numerous concerns, including whether GMO food
and associated pesticide use are safe for human health, and toxicity
levels in Roundup herbicide (made by biotech giant Monsanto) and its
active ingredient glyphosate.
The researchers in charge of the study have no connection to the
biotech industry or the anti-GMO movement, and the Russian National
Association for Genetic Safety, the initiator and coordinator of the proj-
ect, had no involvement in designing the study. Testing will take place at
undisclosed locations in Russia and Western Europe. The group intends
to make the funding process completely transparent, and a full list of
funders will be provided at the start of the experimental phase.
amount invested in food-related tech
companies in just the first half of 2014—
more than double the amount invested
in all of 2013
Source: Rosenheim Advisors
$4
billion
Denise Shoukas is a contributing editor for Specialty Food Magazine.
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